I’m Coming Home, I’m Coming Home…

10 January 2014

Early this morning (4:30am to be exact) we left in a taxi for the Cancun airport. During the ride I kept thinking about how surreal the thought of going home was. Our two weeks in Central America was an incredible adventure, and at the end of such a great adventure the reality of going home usually hits you pretty hard. We have loved the cities, the people, the history, and the food… I would say that I am sad to leave but I have no doubt that we will be back soon.

Our flight left the Cancun airport at 7am sharp and arrived in the Houston International airport just a few minutes after 9am. We had a long layover as our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 3pm so we searched the airport for the best budget food buys. After being in Central America everything in the airport seems out of your budget.

Andrew bought tacos from a Mexican restaurant in the airport (because he was already missing the al pastor in Mexico) but while it was good it definitely didn’t live up to any of the tacos we ate in country. I opted for frozen yogurt and fruit, the closest option to a breakfast parfait.

We spent the next several hours planning out our meals for the next month (which includes bimbimbop, bruchetta, a plethora of soups, and of course Middle Eastern food from Ottolenghi’s recipe book). We researched backpacking routes through Africa, forecasted our finances, and spent hours talking about how optimize future trips on small budgets. I think Andrew and I learned more from this trip than we ever thought was imaginable.

We scrounged everything from our backpacks that was the slightest bit warm to wear as we transitioned from 80+ degree weather to the below freezing frigid Utah winter. Our jeans, closed toed shoes, and multiple shirt layers will have to do until we return to Provo and have access to more than the 40 liter closet we carry on our backs.

As I sit on our flight to Salt Lake City I can’t help but marvel at all the blessings I have in my life. I wouldn’t exchange my experiences for the world, especially because they led me to marry the boy I chose to marry. Thank you Andrew for making every day an adventure and a dream come true.

– Kylie

Kylie and I are sitting at the Camcun airport waiting to board our plane to Houston where we have a 5 hour layover… We’re going to try toget on standby and go earlier but for now… A long wait awaits!

Last night after I’d sent out the update we decided to hunt for some dinner around 8pm and wandered out onto the streets of Cancun. There were a number of places open but they all were expensive (ie. 75-100 pesos for something we could get for 15. $5 USD versus 1 USD). We continued wandering until behind all the touristy restaurants we found this local eatery. The whole place was good court style where a number of vendors had pictures of their items. Craving mole Kylie and I stopped at one of the vendors after an initial go-around and got mole con pollo (mole poblano with chicken and rice). It we delicious! The mole was slightly sweet and a little spicy and tasted like a rich Mayan chocolate. It even came with soup, a fruit juice and a large stack of corn tortillas. Not bad for 40 pesos (~$2.60 USD).

When we woke up to board our plans this morning the person at the hotel told us the cab ride would be 250 pesos to the airport. However exiting the cab the man asked for 300 pesos or 25 USD. We were fed up with people trying to get additional cash from a couple students so we told him we didn’t have it and that we are told 250 by the hotel. He gave in and accepted 250 pesos from us without much fuss.

We’re excited to be back in the states but as usual Kylie is planning our next adventure 🙂

– Andrew